Former Top Military Brass: Count All Ballots Before Winner Declared

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The unprecedented nature of the November election has led dozens of distinguished service members and veterans to support Count Every Hero, a cross-partisan public education campaign. We may not have results on Election Night, making it imperative that all ballots, including military ballots, are counted before a candidate declares victory. 

"The pandemic means more voters than ever will be voting absentee, including hundreds of thousands of our service members," said General George Casey, United States Army (Retired), a new Count Every Hero endorser. "This year, many service members abroad are experiencing voting overseas for the first time. We want to ensure they have the tools necessary to exercise their rights—the very rights they are defending."

Count Every Hero supporters include veterans of all branches of the military, a wide range of active and retired service personnel, as well as military members, their families and dependents. Momentum for the organization's mission is growing across the country and across the political aisle—today, 16 new retired military endorsers are joining the call to ensure every hero's vote is counted this November, including:

• United States Navy Admiral Steve Abbot (Retired)
• United States Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen (Retired)
• United States Army General George Casey (Retired)
• United States Army General Wes Clark (Retired)
• United States Marine Corps General Joseph Francis Dunford Jr. (Retired)
• United States Navy Admiral James O. Ellis (Retired)
• United States Air Force General Howell Estes (Retired)
• United States Navy Admiral Tom Fargo (Retired)
• United States Navy Admiral Jon Greenert (Retired)
• United States Air Force General John Jumper (Retired)
• United States Coast Guard Admiral James "Jim" Loy (Retired)
• United States Air Force General Lester Lyles (Retired)
• United State Air Force General Gregory "Speedy" Martin (Retired)
• United States Army General Stanley McChrystal (Retired)
• United States Marine Corp General Tony Zinni (Retired)
• United States Coast Guard Admiral Paul Zunkuft (Retired)

"We have an obligation to our service members to make sure their votes are counted," said Marjorie K. Eastman, United States Army Reserve Veteran, an endorser of Count Every Hero. "We're working across the aisle to make sure all military members and their families have the information and time necessary to safely cast their ballot."

Nearly one million active duty military members are eligible to vote absentee. The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) of 1986 requires states to allow these military members, their eligible family members, and overseas citizens to vote absentee in federal elections. Yet, in 2018, nearly one-third of non-voters in the military, our country's heroes, wanted to vote or tried to vote but were unable to do so.

"There is a process for absentee voting that actually is safe and secure. The process for our service members to request the ballot takes away the opportunity for fraud," said Captain Lynne Blankenbeker, United States Air Force and Navy Reserve Nurse Corps. "By ensuring all military members and their dependents have the right information and understand the process, we can ensure every vote is safe, and every vote is counted."

The Count Every Hero campaign is committed to two major principles:

1. Every service member's right to vote must be protected and their votes must be counted.
2. Military voters must have an opportunity to register, request an absentee ballot, and cast a vote regardless of their location in the world.

Count Every Hero is a member of the Military Vote Coalition, a group of military family and veteran support organizations whose mission is to increase voter participation. The coalition promotes policies that increase awareness and voting accessibility for veterans and military families.

Count Every Hero is a cross-partisan campaign to ensure all service members' votes are counted before election winners are declared.

Contact: Ellen Moorhouse

press@counteveryhero.org 

(413) 333-5656 

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SOURCE Count Every Hero